Circular hosiery machines with needles on the cylinder and in the bed plate, in particular for terry fabric

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a circular hosiery machine with vertical needles on the cylinder and horizontal needles in the bed plate for knitting terry fabric. Mono sinkers are inserted between the vertical needles on the cylinder, each having a hook for forming terry fabric stitches. The external diameter of the bed plate is noticeably reduced, at least in the area on a level with said hook of the sinkers to enable radial work movements of said sinkers without interference either with the bed plate or with the horizontal needles it carries.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention concerns circular hosiery machines, inparticular the so-called RIB circular machines, with needles on thecylinder and in the bed plate for knitting the terry fabric.

STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Circular mono cylinder hosiery machines where the fabric isknitted using a combination of vertical needles on the cylinder andhorizontal needles in a bed plate above the cylinder both rotatingtogether, enabling the formation of true ribbing are well known.

[0003] The vertical needles alternate with the horizontal needles, andfor the construction of fabric, the cylinder needles work in cooperationwith relative sinkers, whereas the needles in the bed plate work incooperation with the external margin of the bed plate itself. The bedplate normally has an external diameter so as to almost reach theneedles on the cylinder.

[0004] These machines with needles both on the cylinder and in the bedplate have also been equipped for knitting sponge fabric. For this typeof work pairs of complementary and side by side sinkers positionedbetween the vertical needles on the cylinder and programmed to interactand form a rest for the thread which is to form the loops of the terryfabric.

[0005] These machines however are not free of disadvantages andproblems, which the technicians in the sector are well aware of. Infact, the use of pairs of side by side complementary sinkers between thecylinder needles when knitting terry fabric, obviously represents anobstacle when equipping the machines where high fineness is required dueto the double width of the sinkers themselves. FIG. 1 of the encloseddrawings is indicative of the state of the art, as it shows a part of acircular machine where the paired sinkers for knitting terry fabric areindicated by 11 and 12 working together with vertical needles 13 on thecylinder 14 and the horizontal needles 15 in the bed plate 16.

[0006] In addition, the paired sinkers, besides causing mechanicalproblems and suffering from wear, require two series of correspondingmeans, that is control cams, which help to complicate the above hosierycircular machines and furthermore form an additional production cost.

[0007] Also well known on the other hand is the use of the so-calledmono-sinkers for knitting terry fabric on circular hosiery machineswithout needles in the bed plate. The mono-sinkers are positionedbetween the needles on the cylinder and have the acknowledged advantagesof requiring one single series of control cams, simplifying in this waysome of the machine's organs and enabling a better quality terry fabricto be knitted and given their limited width, high machine fineness.

AIMS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Starting from the premise, one object of the present invention isto provide on the mono-cylinder circular hosiery machines with needleson the cylinder and in the bed plate the advantages to be found on thecircular machines without needles in the bed plate when set up forknitting terry fabric.

[0009] Another object of the invention is to create the conditions sothat the circular machines with needles on the cylinder and in the bedplate are able to knit terry fabric in the same way as the circularhosiery machines without needles in the bed plate.

[0010] An additional object of the invention is to improve thestructure, operation and performance and to increase the fineness of thecircular machines with needles both on the cylinder and in the bed plateusing a combination of elements never used on the so-called RIBmachines.

[0011] The objects and advantages mentioned above are achieved,according to the invention, by inserting mono sinkers between thevertical needles on the cylinder, each having a hook for forming theterry fabric stitches, and reducing the external diameter of the bedplate to enable radial operating movements of said sinkers without theminterfering either with the bed plate or the horizontal needles presentin the later.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The invention will be now be described in detail making referenceto the enclosed indicative and not exhaustive drawings in which:

[0013]FIG. 1 shows, in cross section, a part of a circular hosierymachine according to the well known state of art; and

[0014]FIG. 2 is, once more in cross section, a similar part of acircular hosiery machine equipped in compliance with this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] In these drawings, in particular in FIG. 2 we find the cylinder22 of a circular machine, which has a number of longitudinal grooves 22each one carrying a vertical needle 23 each controlled in its workmovements.

[0016] Above the cylinder 20 and coaxial to it is mounted a bed plate 24turning with the cylinder itself and having several radial grooves 25cut in it, each carrying a horizontal needle 26. The horizontal needlesin the bed plate alternate with the needles on the cylinder and aremoved radially by cams 27 placed inside a plate 28 above the bed plate.

[0017] Around the cylinder 21 and turning with it, is a ring 29,positioned on a level with the vertical needles 23 and which has radialgrooves carrying sinkers 30 which alternate with said vertical needlesand which are positioned parallel to the one holding the horizontalneedles, and below the latter. The sinkers 30 can move radially betweenthe vertical needles pushed forwards and backwards by cams, as is known,placed inside a cover above the ring 29.

[0018] Each sinker 30 is shaped for knitting terry fabric. For example,as shown in FIG. 2, each sinker 30 has a head 31 and a stem 32, wherethe head of the sinker rises above the stem and has a stitch formingplane 33, a hook at the top 34 for forming terry fabric stitches and,between this plane and the top hook, an intermediate hook 35 which isabove the fabric formation plane and which forms a recess 36 with thetop hook. Along the stem of the sinker on the top side, there is atleast one drive heel 37 which engages with the cams used to move thesinkers forth and back.

[0019] Given the presence of the top hook of the sinkers, the externaldiameter 38 of the bed plate on a level with the hook, is limitedcompared to what it usually is so that it does not come close to theneedles as it usually does. This particular difference has beenintroduced so that there is no influence or physical contact between thebed plate and the sinkers when the latter move forward between thevertical needles to form the terry fabric stitches on the top hook.

1. Circular hosiery machine with vertical needles on the cylinder andhorizontal needles in the bed plate for knitting terry fabric whereinbetween the vertical needles on the cylinder are inserted mono sinkers,each having a hook for forming terry fabric stitches, and whereinexternal diameter of the bed plate is noticeably reduced, at least inthe area on a level with said hook of the sinkers to enable radial workmovements of said sinkers without interference either with the bed plateor with the horizontal needles it carries.
 2. The use of a mono sinkerto knit terry fabric in conjunction with the needles of a circularhosiery machine with vertical needles on the cylinder and horizontalneedles in the bed plate.